Repairing Hogsmeade
by makatza97
Summary: Dramione romance - slow moving but hopefully eventually worth it! Hermione discovers Draco in the aftermath of the Final Battle as she oversees the repair of Hogsmeade. Will she hand him over to the Ministry? D.M H.G
1. Chapter 1

AN: This is my first fanfic and I'm only a teenager, so if this is really bad I'm so, so sorry and please tell me how to improve in a review. If it's good and people like it I'll probably do a little victory dance, because those are fun, but I suck at starting stories – once I get going I'm alright. I'm a big fan of Dramione so I hope I'll do it at least a semblance of justice. No idea how it's going to go, so please suggest things! I might not be able to write much though, so if you like it please be patient . Thanks!

Oh, also, in this story Ron and Hermione aren't together. Because that would sort of ruin the entire objective of the Dramione thing.

Hermione looked sadly at Hogsmeade. The little village was barely recognisable, a burnt out husk. In the final battle when Voldemort had attacked Hogwarts, his followers had razed Hogsmeade to the ground before they descended on the castle. The Three Broomsticks' door was smashed in, and when they set fire to the building the alcohol had ignited and exploded, killing Madam Rosmerta immediately (when he heard the news Ron was distraught) and spreading to two other buildings before the flame was extinguished. Honeydukes Sweetshop was only half-destroyed, much to the delight of the students, with most of the underground stock being salvageable and the owner's living quarters not too damaged. The Hog's Head didn't even exist anymore, the foundations of the building the only thing left after a Death Eater attacked it with Fiendfyre and some other curses no-one could identify. Most of the other buildings were only burnt out remains, unusable, but the Shrieking Shack was unharmed. Hermione shook her head disapprovingly at it.

Hermione had gathered some students and teachers from the school to help rebuild the village, thinking it might help everyone move on from the horror of the battle at Hogwarts. Many whose friends or family had died were helping, distracting themselves from their loss. It was exactly as Hermione had hoped. As she watched everyone work (occasionally even a Slytherin or two) she allowed herself to think of those who weren't there.

After Fred, Remus and Tonks died the entire Weasley family went into mourning. Hermione hadn't seen any of them since, and missed them dearly. George was taking the departure of his twin especially hard, and had reached the brink of suicide many times before being admitted to St Mungos after he allowed himself to be deeply bitten by a Bowtruckle in the Forbidden Forest.

Harry had celebrated the victory and mourned the dead, but after he had recovered he didn't know what he was supposed to do – his purpose for his whole life was to defeat Voldemort and he'd finally done it. Now he had no idea what was meant for him. He was spending some time on holiday – somewhere hot was all he told anyone – to figure stuff out.

Neville had finally plucked up the courage to talk to Luna about how he felt about her, and they were currently dating. He and Luna had moved into a house together along with her father. The Lovegood house had not yet been repaired after it was partially destroyed by Death Eaters when Harry, Ron and Hermione visited to ask about the Deathly Hallows. Hermione didn't see them much, as they were currently rebuilding the house together.

Most students had gone away for a while, holding funerals for the dead or just laying low for a while to recover from the horror of the battle. Speaking of laying low…

Hermione allowed her thoughts to reluctantly turn to Draco Malfoy. His family had gone into hiding, but their manor wasn't exactly inconspicuous. The spells guarding it were broken and the manor was ransacked, Lucius Malfoy was thrown into Azkaban and Narcissa Malfoy was accidentally killed when she tried to use Avada Kedavra on one of the Aurors trying to apprehend her and her spell ricocheted, hitting her in the chest.

Draco escaped with the help of a threatened house elf. He was still being searched for. Hermione felt a pang of pity for the teenage Slytherin and then quelled it swiftly. He was _Draco Malfoy_. She had no reason to care what happened to him.

She was roused from her thoughts by a crash and a shouted swear word. Hermione whipped around and groaned in frustration as she saw that one of the wizards had accidentally dropped the bricks he was Wingardium Leviosa-ing over to the remnants of Honeydukes, where another wizard was charming the bricks and concrete to build themselves. The dropped bricks had hit a witch, who was lying unconscious on the ground. Hermione ran over immediately, thoughts of her fellow students banished from her mind.


	2. Chapter 2

Draco watched Granger run over to the injured witch, eyes narrowed. _Stupid mudblood,_ he thought as she knelt by the witch – probably didn't even know the witch's name! – and began performing some kind of magic on her. Draco's stomach rumbled and he shot it a displeased look before slinking into the cellar of Honeydukes while everyone was clustered by the scene of the accident.

Although Honeydukes was the main focus of the rebuilding work nobody had bothered to remove all the stock from the cellar below. Draco gave himself a little smug smile and began searching the shelves.

The witch opened her eyes blurrily and blinked a few times. "W-what happened?" She touched her head and winced. "Owww…"

The responsible wizard blushed as Hermione pointed at him and said, "He was levitating some bricks over to Honeydukes when his spell failed. It was an accident. How are you feeling?"

The witch groaned. "Sick…" And then she threw up all over Hermione's clothes. Hermione jumped up with a shriek, hands suspended by her face as she opened and closed her mouth silently for a few seconds. One of the other witches took charge, shooting the sick-covered girl a sympathetic glance.

"Come on dear, we'll get you to Madame Pomfrey – she should be around here somewhere, right?"

Hermione nodded silently, so the two witches carefully walked off to where Madame Pomfrey had a small medical tent in case of accidents. Hermione made a little wailing noise. Another witch disapparated and then returned about 20 seconds later with some Muggle clothing.

"Thanks," Hermione managed to get out, still in a state of disgust. "I… I'll go get changed in Honeydukes."

"Use the cellar, it's more private!" The same witch called after her as she left. "There should be a sink there, you can wash in it."

Hermione threw a "Thanks!" over her shoulder and hurried into the enpty building. Well, supposedly empty.

As he was placing some Chocolate Frogs into his pockets – reduced to pilfering petty sweets, how _muggle_ of him, his father would be _appalled_ if he could see him – Draco heard footsteps. He froze. _For Merlin's sake!_ he thought desperately, grabbing a box of Bertie Botts Every Flavour Beans before darting into a corner behind a shelf of Jelly Slugs. To his horror it was Granger.

Maybe if it had been a random wizard then he might have stood a chance of escape. But not Granger. She would recognise him immediately and he'd be in Azkaban before he could say "Filthy mudblood, get your hands off me!". He was barely surviving as it was. The entire Malfoy wealth had been confiscated by the new Ministry, though he did have one ally who had smuggled him a few hundred Galleons before he was taken to Azkaban. And being a wanted Death Eater made it harder to just 'pop into the shops'. Stealing was all he had left.

He watched, muscles coiled like a tiger ready to spring, prepared to run for it if she saw him. Then the stench hit him. He recoiled. _Merlin's Beard, what is that?_ Then he saw the vomit on her clothes. He stifled a laugh. Someone – _the witch? _– had thrown up on her! Well that was a reward she deserved, goody two-shoes know-it-all.

He wasn't prepared, however, when she walked over to the little sink opposite his hiding place and removed her blouse. Draco tried to back away from both her close proximity (what if she saw him?) and the fact that she had just removed a bloody item of her clothing!

He closed his eyes to avoid seeing, then realised that even if he did accidentally catch a glimpse of her filthy mudblood body it couldn't be worth the risk of missing an escape opportunity. He opened his eyes again, wary.

She had her back to him, washing her face in nothing but trousers, shoes and a bra.

A red, lacy bra.

_Oh Merlin. Look away._ A little voice in his head whispered frantically. _LOOK AWAY!_

He obeyed the voice and looked around the little cellar for something to attack her with. He had to get out of there, fast. But before he could she turned around, towelling off her face.

A.N: Will she see him? What will happen? Oooh, the tension! Well not for me, I already know what is going to happen. But if you have any ideas please suggest, I may alter the story (no definite ending yet, you see). Please review! *pleading face*


	3. Chapter 3

Hermione turned around, towelling her face off with a sigh of relief. Ugh, the memory of the vomit on her clothing was already fading. Now all she needed to do was take off her jeans and change into the clothes that witch had given her and she would be rid of the stench. She removed the towel from her face, turning back around to the sink and removing her trousers, throwing them on top of her blouse which lay on the floor. She washed a little vomit from her hair in disgust and then turned around to retrieve the clothes the witch had given her. As she surveyed the room, her eyes finally alighting on the clothes (which were draped across a shelf of Fizzing Whizbees), she saw something from the corner of her eye. As she turned to look something hit her hard across the face and suddenly everything was black.

Draco looked down at Granger, splayed on the floor. A trickle of blood – _ugh, filthy mudblood _– was winding its way down over her forehead and staining the concrete floor. He suddenly realised how this must look.

She's unconscious, in her underwear – _move on, don't think about it _– and there he was, stood over her holding a plank of wood prised from one of the shelves. He couldn't let her report him, but now he'd really got himself in trouble. As he stood there, frozen, he heard a voice call out.

"Miss Granger? Have you finished changing? Mr Finklebuz has fallen over and we're running short on people to help out."

Draco stared at the unconscious mudblood on the floor for a second and then grabbed her wand from the pile of clothes on the floor. After a quick voice-disguising spell he called back up, "I'm going to be a few more minutes. Could you go check on the, uh, the… witch that got hit by the bricks? I'm _ever_ so worried about her." _Hopefully that sounded enough like Granger, the pathetic Gryffindor. Ugh._

"Oh, okay." Draco heard the witch walk away and decided on a plan of action. He'd have to take Granger with him; otherwise she would rat him out and he needed a good couple of days head start on the Aurors, especially when he had no magic. If only his new wand hadn't been broken in the fight at the Manor. Draco banished thoughts of that, remembering his mother illuminated in that green light, crumpling to the ground.

He grabbed Granger's clean change of clothes and dragged them abruptly onto her limp body, trying to ignore that her underwear matched. _Just don't look. She's a worthless, disgusting mudblood._ The little voice in the back of his head sounded suspiciously like his father's, and he shuddered. Once she was clothed he reluctantly heaved her onto his shoulders. _CONTAMINATION! CONTAMINATION! _His father's voice yelled at him, telling him how disgusting she was, how she was nothing but a mudblood do-gooding Gryffindor whore. He ignored the last part, remembering when his father had said that about her.

He almost ran up the stairs, pockets full of stolen sweets and Granger's wand in his free hand. Merlin, it felt good to have a wand in his hand again. He was powerful, like he should be. He felt like a proper Malfoy.

After revelling in his power for a few more seconds he left Honeydukes and ran.

A.N: Hey anyone who's reading this, hope it's alright! I know this is going kinda slow(ish) but please bear with me, you're reading this and I love you for it. Oh, also, if you leave a review I will give you a cookie. Okay, that's a lie, but please review anyway?

**Somewhat satisfied: **Thank you SO MUCH for reviewing, you just made my entire week – I think the story is gonna speed up a little and then probably slow down again for a while, but it's just starting to get interesting :P again, thanks so much!


	4. Chapter 4

Hermione woke up with a banging pain in her head and groaned softly. Why was the world jogging about so much? She went to touch her face but discovered her hands were bound. This confused her further – and why was her world still bouncing about when she was no longer dizzy?

Her torso bounced against something and when she looked to the side saw a neck, strong shoulders and when his walk allowed it the impression of a well-defined jaw. Hermione's jaw dropped in realisation.

Somebody had kidnapped her!

Her assailant didn't seem to realise she was awake, so she decided to make her consciousness known. She wanted to hit him but as her hands were tied behind her back she wasn't really in a position to do so. Instead she settled for yelling.

"PUT ME DOWN!"

The man carrying her stumbled with surprise and she writhed, falling from his shoulder. She shuffled round but couldn't get up properly, only managing to sit up. Her mouth fell open as she saw who was carrying her.

"Malfoy? What in Merlin's name do you think you're doing?"

Malfoy smirked at her. "Hello to you too, Granger."

She gave him her best death glare. "Untie me. Now."

"No. I don't want you running off to your little Ministry friends. There's a cell in Azkaban with my gorgeous name written all over it, and I'm not really in the mood to visit it yet."

Hermione moistened her lips nervously and tasted the iron tang of blood. "Am I… bleeding?"

Malfoy shrugged. "You would've given me away. I hit you. It was extremely satisfying," he said, drawing the last two words out longer, his smirk becoming more pronounced.

Hermione stared at him in shock. "What? But…" She reddened. "You were there when…?"

"When you were stripping? Oh yes, I was. Not bad for a mudblood Granger, not bad. And the matching underwear was a nice touch." He winked at her then smirked some more.

_Merlin, I want to slap him._

"You complete bastard. You _watched _me change? What is _wrong _with you, don't you have any respect for the privacy of others?"

Malfoy shrugged, the knowing smirk still firmly in place. His expression made her blush, embarrassed. "I was there first. And why would I want to see a worthless mudblood in her underwear? I have plenty of _pureborn_ girls begging for me to do more than watch them. Though I suppose if I want to know the total superiority of pureblood… would it be worth the horror of touching _you_? Hm. Maybe not. Don't look so pissed off, it's not like I'm saying anything untrue."

Hermione fumed silently, glaring at him. She was aware that she was a complete mess, covered in leaf litter from the forest floor and face smudged with angry tears she hadn't previously noticed. Malfoy squatted down and gave her a patronising look.

"Poor ickle mudblood. Can't deal with a little witty banter?"

"I can deal with it as long as I get to hex you later," she replied without missing a beat.

Malfoy winced in mock-pain. "Oh Granger, how could you? Anyway, we have somewhere to be! Jelly Slug?" He held the sweet out to her, and she raised an eyebrow.

"Just take the sweet, Granger." Malfoy waved it in front of her face a few times, but she didn't trust him and there was no way she was going to eat something from his hand. It was way too undignified. Malfoy sighed and ate the sweet himself, shaking his head at Hermione. "Tut tut. It's rude to turn down an offer from your superiors."

"Thank Merlin there aren't any around then."

Malfoy merely rolled his eyes and hoisted her back onto his shoulder. She began to wriggle. "Granger, stop it." She didn't. "Stop that right now or I may have to take matters into my own hands."

Hermione paused and then continued trying to escape. What was the worst he could do, except maybe use Petrificus Totalus on her? She felt his shoulder sag as he sighed and felt a brief stab of satisfaction.

Then he slapped her arse. Hard.

She cried out in shock, frozen. "How dare you!" she finally exploded.

Malfoy showed no remorse, still striding on like nothing had happened. "I warned you," he said. She could almost _hear_ the smirk in his voice.

"Ugly, stupid, no-good ferret face!" she cursed angrily to herself.

"What did you say, Granger?"

"Nothing!" Hermione said cheerfully before sinking back into a mutinous scowl.

"Better keep it that way, or I may be forced to discipline you again."

Hermione flushed again, then calmed herself. "Where are we going?"

"You'll see."


	5. Chapter 5

Hermione huffed at his vague answer and persisted. "Seriously, how long will it take to get there? Ow!" she added as Malfoy walked under a branch, the piece of wood dragging her shirt up her back and catching painfully on the rope binding her hands.

"Oops," he drawled. "_Sorry_. Total accident, must have been distracted by your incessant ramblings." Hermione took the hint and fell silent. Was her back bleeding? Those twigs on the branch had been strong and sharp. Malfoy seemed to realise after a few minutes she was silently crying, hopeless and in pain.

"Granger?" He plonked her down on the ground and she stared down at it. Malfoy removed his jacket. "Ugh, you've cried all over it. Won't be any good now. Stop snivelling, it's not that bad." He pulled her up roughly by the shoulder and pulled her shirt down to cover her back. "Only a few scratches. You've been through worse!"

He then took her elbow and lead her through the forest rather than carrying her. For a few seconds she felt grateful, but the feeling quickly dispersed. Why should she be grateful to him? He had watched her get changed (she shuddered), kidnapped her and then mocked her for getting upset. She owed him nothing.

Draco dragged the dishevelled witch through the Forbidden Forest, frustrated. She was just as annoying as ever! Always talking, talking, talking… the 'discipline' he had administered seemed to make her more agreeable though. Agreeable as in quiet. He shot a glance at her from the corner of his eye.

She was scruffy and covered in dirt, her usually wavy hair – what happened to the bushy mane, when did _that_ disappear? – scraggly and tangled from her struggles. Her face had a huge smear of dirt across one cheek with tearstains carving a path through it and she looked thoroughly miserable. It was incredibly satisfying. Draco decided to tease her a little.

"Not so loud now Granger. I think I might like the new, quieter you."

"You're not capable of liking people, Malfoy."

He feigned hurt. She ignored him and continued to silently stumble beside him. He gave up, focussing on where they needed to be. They arrived after another few hours of walking, by which time he had eaten most of the pilfered sweets. After a second refusal from Granger he stopped offering her any food or drink, ignoring the longing looks she began to shoot him. If she wanted something she would have to beg.

He led her to the Whomping Willow and used her wand to freeze it. He had spent the last three times entering desperately avoiding the flailing branches, but now that wouldn't be a problem. He gave a satisfied half-smirk-half-smug-grin and dragged the mudblood witch into the passageway between the roots. They emerged in the Shrieking Shack – Draco had known that the building was unharmed, so nobody would bother visiting the unsettling building. He shoved Granger against the table.

"Stay there."

She glared at him. "What happened to the scared, cowardly man that Voldemort pushed around? I haven't forgotten what you're _really_ like."

Draco smirked at her. "Who should I be fearful of now? The Dark Lor- Voldemort is _dead_, my father is in Azkaban, the Death Eaters are gone. All I have to do is avoid the pathetic Ministry of Magic, and I can do whatever I want!" He stepped close to her, pressing her against the table. "I can do anything or… _anyone_ I want, Granger. You'd be wise to remember that before you piss me off." She quivered and he smiled in satisfaction before walking away into the filthy bathroom.

Hermione scowled at his retreating figure. _Stupid Malfoy, thinks he's so perfect and clever and untouchable now daddy is in jail. Ha. Hope we get found real soon._ And then as he came back out of the bathroom her jaw dropped in shock.

A.N: Mwah ha ha, cliffhanger. Not, we all know what it's gonna say. Are they too OOC? I feel like they are… please review? I'll send you an invisible intangible mute llama. Don't worry, they're sometimes born like that, no llamas were hurt in the making of this bribe. Anyway, PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE REVIEW, I'm a needy desperate person and I want to know if anyone's actually liking this. Thanks!


	6. Chapter 6

Hermione's jaw dropped. He'd taken his shirt off, and being on the run had made him lean and fit, if a little scrawny. There were scars along his chest and back which looked old, healed, and Hermione wondered what they were from. She could see a thin white line across one forearm where Buckbeak had 'attacked' him, and smiled at the memory.

Malfoy turned around, one eyebrow raising as he saw her smile. "Am I really that dreamy, Granger?" He grabbed her wand from the table beside her, muttered "Petrificus Totalus," and then wandered back into the bathroom, uncaring of his filthy surroundings. A few moments later Hermione heard the shower running. She stood frozen, unable to move and fuming.

_Merlin, I hate him so much. I can't believe he just used that on me! He'd better be back soon, or I'll go crazy stuck like this._ She stood like that for about ten minutes, then heard the shower stop. Her heart lifted – she may hate Malfoy, but she hated being paralysed more.

Although she didn't put anything past him, she still didn't expect it when he emerged from the bathroom naked. She made a mental squeaking noise and screwed her eyes tightly shut, breathing fast. She heard his footsteps come closer and closer until she could feel drops from his wet hair hitting her nose. Her nose wrinkled automatically.

"Are you feeling alright Granger? You seem to be having a little mobility issue there." Hermione opened her eyes to glare at him, then remembered his current state and screwed them shut again, vowing to hex him ASAP. She could almost sense his smirk.

Malfoy cast the counter-curse and Hermione was free. She put her hands over her eyes and quickly spun around in case she accidentally opened her eyes.

"Come on mudblood, not even a little bit curious? Not heard the rumours?" Actually she'd heard almost all of the rumours and was nearly dying of curiosity.

_No Hermione, no. Do NOT look. Do not open those eyes. _

_Just a peek… _

_NO. This is Malfoy we're talking about. Don't do it… _

One eye opened, then snapped back shut.

Draco smirked in satisfaction as Granger struggled to keep her eyes shut. He decided to take it a step further, and stepped closer, wrapping his arms around her waist. She stiffened as he pressed himself against her. He wondered why she wasn't trying to get free but then realised that probably from her point of view, moving about in this predicament could become awkward. He smiled and put his nose against the back of her ear. She shivered.

He smiled against her skin. "Something wrong, Granger?"

She swallowed. "Get away from me Malfoy." It came out pathetic and pleading, and Draco could almost see her berate herself.

"You don't sound convinced," he whispered. She swallowed.

"I am most certainly convinced. Now get off before I do something you'll regret." Her voice was stronger and Draco decided not to push it, leaving her with a final breath on her neck. He cast a spell to stop her being able to leave the shack, then wandered back into the bathroom.

"_Scourgify_," he muttered, cleaning his clothes, then dried himself. "Your turn, Granger."

She turned around, realised that he hadn't got dressed yet, and quickly closed her eyes again. "What for?" Draco resisted the urge to make some kind of innuendo and gestured towards the shower. Then he realised she couldn't see him.

"Shower, Granger. You're already a mudblood – I really don't think I could deal with a dirty Gryffindor on my hands."

Granger blushed and he silently congratulated himself. But she didn't move.

"Granger. Go. No trickery here."

"I can't see my way over. Get dressed first, so I know I can open my eyes."

He did as she said, grumbling. "If you'd just open your eyes, you wouldn't want me to put them back on."

She stayed silent. He finally finished, leaving his hair messy and undried, and gave her ass a slap. A blush spread across her face and she made a strangled noise, turning to face him with her hands on her hips. He ignored her hips.

_Granger has nice hips. Admit it._

_She's just a bushy haired buck toothed- _

_Except her hair isn't bushy any more. She has straight, white teeth. And she's definitely matured into something not to be despised. _

Malfoy tried to ignore his own mind. Before she could say anything he winked, shoved her into the bathroom and shut the door, throwing "Nice ass!" over his shoulder as it closed. He imagined her angry face and grinned.

A.N: Look. I'm gonna go all evil on you and demand reviews, or I'm holding the next chapter ransom! When I have 5 reviews (it's not much, pweeeease?) I'll post the next part. Or at least, the next chapter won't be posted till I have 5. I can't promise an immediate reaction 'cause I have to revise for a German test, a Biology test AND an English assessment. Ugh. I will try to write more, and sorry for the blackmail (anyone who cares… :P). I'm lovely really!

Makatza x


	7. Chapter 7

**A.N: Hey, didn't get five reviews but one of my friends read it and begged me to upload the next chapter, so I am. Love you Louis! No smut yet but there will be (he's gonna make me whether I was planning one or not, though incidentally I was) and there's a bit of nakedness and fun. Quite a light chapter really. Hope it isn't too much of a disappointment, but having almost no reviews is really getting me down and I'm wondering if this is worth continuing, so please review or follow or something and you'll be sent an invisible package of invisible cookies!**

Hermione gave the closed door an outraged look, then turned to the shower with a sigh of relief. She felt awful. A day of being dragged through a forest by an old school foe really was exhausting, and she was completely covered in mud and leaves. The scratches she had got on her back when Malfoy deliberately walked beneath the low-hanging branches hurt and she gave another relieved sigh as she peeled off her t-shirt. She used it to wipe clean the filthy mirror – _How has Malfoy coped with living here, it's disgusting_ – and turned around, craning her neck to view the damage.

It wasn't as bad as it felt – nothing compared to the wounds Bellatrix had inflicted on her in Malfoy Manor. Merlin, that all seemed so long ago. Hermione looked at the faint white scars, spelling _Mudblood_ down her arm for all to see. She scowled and then finished stripping, listening first for Malfoy. She could hear him doing something out in the other room, which meant that he wasn't anywhere near the bathroom.

Once her clothes were off she turned on the shower and stepped in. A squeal escaped her lips as the freezing water hit her whole body and she leapt back out, feet slipping on the dirt-crusted floor tiles so she crashed to the ground. She heard footsteps running towards the bathroom and quickly shuffled around so her back was facing the door, then pulled a random towel over her shoulders.

Malfoy burst in half a second later. "Granger?!" He stoppped when he saw her. "What in Merlin's name…?"

"The water was colder than I expected…" Hermione muttered, embarassed.

Malfoy burst out laughing, his whole body shaking with mirth. "That is possibly the funniest thing I have ever heard. Have you never had a cold shower? It's good for the pores, you should try it sometime. You certainly need it." The traditional Malfoy smirk was back in place, though it was tainted by his genuine amusement. He stood watching her as she shivered until she glared at him over her shoulder.

"Are you just gonna stand there?"

He smirked infuriatingly. "Yes."

"Oh get lost, you complete pervert. I need to go get clean and I can't do it with you watching."

The smirk grew until Hermione just wanted to punch it from his face like in third year. That was a good punch.

"Why not?"

Hermione made vague mouth movements as she struggled for something to say as he stood smugly in the doorway.

…

Draco surveyed the scene in front of him with some satisfaction. Know-it-all Granger, speechless. This was a momentous occasion. He was about to say something snarky to that effect when she stood up, the towel barely covering the necessities, and shot him a defiant look.

She stepped into the shower and was faced with a dilemma. Either she could strip and shower properly or keep the towel on, have nothing to dry herself with and not get fully clean. Draco was leaning towards the second option, personally. Granger was too uptight to do anything like Option One.

She glanced at him and took a deep breath. "You're really going to stay there?"

Draco nodded smugly. He wasn't going to make it this easy for her. She took another deep breath and flung the towel at his face, turning the cold water on and standing beneath it with a hiss. Draco flailed a little as the towel hit his face, then managed to get it off and saw her. She was facing determinedly away from him, but he could see enough.

_When did she become a woman? Merlin, those legs…_

His eyes travelled up to her butt and lingered for a moment.

_Do NOT have those thoughts, Draco. They are bad and composed completely of hormones. _

_But she's just… she's not Granger any more. This isn't Granger. This is some kind of attractive, lust-inducing sex-on-legs you've never seen before._

_No._

Draco saw the bumps on her skin where the cold water was hitting and suddenly felt bad. For making her shower in the cold, for not just doing the decent thing and leaving, for kidnapping her in the first place… for being such a prat for all those years at Hogwarts.

He muttered a warming charm and left, missing her looked of grateful surprise as she turned to thank him.


	8. Chapter 8

**Oh. My. Glob. Thank you so much all my reviewers, you made my week! I reply to my reviewers individually so there's not much to say here, except that your intangible invisible cookies and llamas are on their way! Please guys keep reviewing and anyone else please start, and I will give you… um… a winged unicorn. They're shy so you might not be able to catch a glimpse, but they'll be there. I will explain my looooong absence at the bottom, sorry guys!**

**ALSO! Disclaimer: None of the characters or anything are mine except the plot, which is mine, and that applies to ALL CHAPTERS I've already posted in this story and will post in the future. Forgot to do this in any of the other chapters XD **

**Also the characters ARE OOC, I'm sorry. I just love how I'm making them so if you're not a fan of them please suggest how I can make it more realistic, but don't get annoyed. Tiny bit of almost-smut in this chapter. **

Hermione used a slightly grimy towel to dry herself off, sighing with pleasure at the clean feeling but wincing as the rough material grazed over the cuts she'd gained when Malfoy was carrying her. She wondered why he had performed the warming charm.

If she'd had her wand she could've Scourgify-ed herself, but Malfoy had it and she'd (annoyingly) never managed to perfect wandless magic. The shower had been so cold… and then he'd warmed it for her. _Draco Malfoy_ had done something to make her more comfortable. The same Draco Malfoy who had relentlessly bullied her through school, who was a Pureblood snob.

But then again, the same Draco Malfoy who had lived in fear throughout sixth year, who had been forced to try and kill the Headmaster (and failed, which was maybe the most significant detail. He hadn't been able to do it), who had almost not gone over to stand with the Death Eaters after Harry's brief spell of fake-death. Hermione had always had a suspicion that if his mother hadn't called, he wouldn't have gone.

Was Malfoy really like they all thought he was?

And finally, she couldn't put it off any longer. Thinking about what had just happened.

_Nothing's just happened. I proved a point, showed him I'm a true Gryffindor. _

Her subconscious raised a sarcastic eyebrow. _Yeah, you took the opportunity to see how he would react if you stripped. What an unexpected exhibitionist streak. _

Hermione blushed at her own thoughts. _That is not true! I needed a shower and he wouldn't leave, and I had to prove that he doesn't scare me. I'm a Gryffindor! I'm brave! I don't let anyone – especially _Malfoy_ – tell me what to do!_

_What happened to the nice little rule-follower that began Hogwarts all those years ago? _

Hermione smiled, remembering herself. _She disappeared forever when I made that Polyjuice Potion in second year… _

Her subconscious made a little noise of derision. _You can't pretend you didn't enjoy that. Just look at how you've reacted. _

The feel of Malfoy's gaze on her… Hermione shivered. Because it was unpleasant. That was the _only reason._She did not enjoy his attention at all. Nope. She shook her head and ignored the signs her body was sending her, then looked around for her clothes. They would be dirty, but at least she would be clean.

They weren't in the bathroom.

The steam had cleared so they couldn't be hidden by it. Hermione turned around, eyes scanning the room desperately. _Where in Merlin's name are my clothes?_ And then she realised.

"MALFOY!"

Draco smirked to himself as he eyed the pile of clothes he had stolen and cleaned midway through her shower, his previous remorse replaced with childish mischief.

"Yes, Granger?" he replied smoothly.

"Where are my clothes?!"

Draco made his way over to the door and said softly, "They're right out here, if you want them. I cleaned them, they're all soft and wa-arm…" There was nothing from the other side of the door and he grinned, imagining her trying to decide what to do. To his delight, the door opened a crack. A single brown eye peered through suspiciously and he stepped aside so she could see the clothes.

"Right there. Just come on out and you can have them."

The door shut again and Granger spoke, muffled slightly. "The towel is quite small."

"And?"

"Malfoy! You complete _pervert._"

"Oh come _on,_ Granger, I've already seen most of you one way or another. And I have to say, you're not bad. Anytime you're wanting some fun, I'm available. I'm sure you've heard the rumours, the nicknames. The rumours were all true, the good ones. And I _definitely_ earned the nicknames." He could almost sense her blushing.

After a long silence he sighed, grabbed the clothes and opened the door for her, eliciting a high-pitched squeak of surprise.

"No Malfoy! Get out! Oh, Merlin!" He watched in amusement as she tried to cover herself without curling up on the floor, trying not to make herself seem lower than him. She ended up covering her chest and pulling her knees up, perching on the side of the bath, unwittingly giving him an excellent view of her private area. He felt himself growing hard and, giving into his urges, began striding forwards towards her.

She hopped off the bath, stepped backwards and came up against the wall, looking at it in surprise as her back hit the cold tiles. He kept moving, putting down the clothes without breaking stride, until he was pressed lightly against her. She kept her hands across her chest, pressing the towel in place, and tried to cover herself by crossing her legs.

The effort was futile.

He pressed harder against her and felt her sharp intake of breath as his erection pushed against her stomach through his trousers. Draco lowered his head to hers and gently rested his lips on her jawline, listening carefully to her breathing. A small smile adorned his lips as he heard her breathing stop for a few seconds, and he slowly trailed kisses up her jaw to her earlobe. Somewhere during the kisses her hands had relaxed so they rested against his chest and the towel was slipping down, showing the top of her breasts.

Draco worked his way back to her lips, his hands caressing her lower back as he captured her lips with his own. Her natural Gryffindor tendencies came out and she kissed back, not allowing him to dominate the kiss. He raised an eyebrow and took charge again, nibbling on her lower lip until it parted from her upper lip in a silent, gentle gasp of surprised pleasure. He took the opportunity to slide his tongue into her mouth and she broke away, breathing heavily, her cheeks endearingly flushed. Draco's hands slid down to cup her arse. "What's wrong?" he whispered, looking deep into her eyes.

She swallowed and her tongue flicked out to lick her lips nervously. Draco nearly kissed her again at the sight.

"This… this can't happen…" Hermione said hoarsely, her eyes visibly flicking to his lips. She shifted so his erection wasn't against her, but he moved so it was again. Her breathing hitched.

"Why not?" He stroked her butt gently as he spoke, and her head leaned backwards slightly. He took the opportunity to nuzzle her neck, sucking lightly on a patch of skin until the skin bruised. Hermione (when had he started calling her that?) had long since given up on holding the towel up so he gave it a hopeful tug, sighing sadly when her hand pulled it back up.

"B-because…" Hermione tried to control herself, ignoring the wetness gathering between her legs, "You're Draco Malfoy… I'm not a Pureblood… we could never… you're a criminal… wanted by Ministry… can't…" He hadn't stopped his work on her neck, she couldn't concentrate properly. He tentatively moved his hand further down her arse until it was between her legs, leaving one cupping a buttock. He felt her wetness and smiled, running his nose up her neck and taking her lips.

"You don't seem to mind it so much," he whispered into her mouth, moving his hand round to the front and pushing her leg down from its protective stance. He stroked her and she moaned loudly, then pulled away, blushing.

"Sorry…" she said, embarassed.

He removed his hands from her body and cupped her face, ignoring the fact that her arousal was still on the tips of the fingers of his right hand. He would enjoy _that_ fact later. "Don't apologise. It was, in fact, incredibly arousing." He stepped away, leaving her on the wall. "But I won't force you into it. I want you to know you want it, and quite frankly, this place is a dump. If you _do_ want this, then you know where I am." And then he was gone.

**Well that turned out more smutty than I had anticipated… hope you liked it! From now on when there is a viewpoint change I'll put a little symbol or something, because whereas in the past they have referred to each other by their last names and themselves by their first names, now they will think of each other by their first names as well. Anyway, please review and follow, if you object to the teeny tiny bit of smut then I'm sorry, but it's always been going that way. Love you all! **

**I've had this ready since before I posted Chapter 7 but suddenly my account stopped working, and then I emailed the help people and they NEVER EMAILED BACK so I changed my password with the 'Forgot Password' button but it still didn't work. I cried a bit and lamented, and then changed the password again two days ago and it has finally WORKED! So I will get working on Chapter 9 ASAP! Thanks for all the new reviews, I will reply to them in the next chapter!**


	9. Chapter 9

**Sorry about the wait, I've had writers block with this story BUT at least I've written some oneshots (a LOT like srsly) I'll publish at some point, so that's a small consolation I suppose. I hope you all enjoyed the intangible gifts I sent! Also, someone else is following the story since yesterday which reminded me that there are people actually reading this and I need to continue, so today I did, despite the fact that I've got German homework to do. Oops. **

Hermione stood where Malfoy had left her, in complete shock. A burning embarassment began to work its way into her throat, making her feel like she couldn't breathe. What had happened to her – where were her _morals_? Merlin, what if anyone found out? What would Ron and Harry think, if they saw her behaving so inappropriately with _Malfoy_, of all people. Why Malfoy?

_Well, he's not _that_ bad looking… _mused a small part of her. Her sensible side immediately squashed the thought, awash with horror.

_I behaved appallingly! There is no way that kind of… thing would ever be appropriate or even halfway decent! _ She deserved all of the insults he had ever thrown at her in that moment. She was _soiled._ She'd let him – no! _Don't even think it!_

If she thought it that would make it real. She sank despairingly to the floor.

Draco, on the other hand, had stopped chastising himself. So what, she wasn't Pureblood? She was… mildly attractive. Passable. The war was over – no need for pretentious traditions anymore! He could shag whoever he wanted to!

And right then, he really wanted to shag Granger.

Maybe this was just happening because he hadn't had sex with anyone for a while, and she was the only thing available. Yes! That was it! Nothing to be ashamed of, just hormones and random lust for any female in a two-mile radius.

_Really, she's not abhorrent…_ Draco remembered the smooth curve of her (slightly scratched) back leading down to her butt, the dark wetness of her long hair, her lean but feminine physique. _Most definitely not dirty-looking, now she has showered. That Mudblood thing obviously isn't true. Though I suppose I haven't seen her bleed properly. Only those scratches on her back._

His finger was still slightly damp. He wiped it off on a towel, rather reluctantly, and settled in a chair to play with Granger's wand. Oh, he'd missed this. Engorgio, Reducto, Accio, Avis, Expecto Patronum… he watched with delight as his fox leapt playfully around the room, pausing to lick his face with an insubstantial but warm tongue before it disappeared again. He set half the room on fire and then made the damage disappear, conjured a small group of mice to scamper about the floor and then set vipers on them, listening to their terrified squeaks.

He made them disappear with a flick of Hermione's wand as the bathroom door opened and she stepped out cautiously, feet bare and hair damp and unbrushed. _When did she become Hermione?_

Draco leaned against a now-clean counter and watched her as she advanced out into the room, glanced his way and then looked away again, a blush staining her cheeks. He grinned a little at her embarrassment and waited. She ignored him for a minute but then she seemed to gather her thoughts and turned to him with a determined expression.

"I'm hungry." Draco purposefully didn't say anything, just scrutinised her in the jeans and shirt he had given her to wear until she shifted her weight onto one foot and muttered, "Can I have something to eat, please?"

"Sure," he said pleasantly, opening a cupboard and gesturing to its contents with one hand. "I'll be outside, have fun." He was pretty sure she wasn't going to try anything knowing he was still nearby and he wanted to try some more advanced spells now he had a wand again. She looked surprised but nodded,walking over to the cupboard and emptying it onto the table (as clean as the counter – Draco couldn't abide dirt, and with a wand it was suddenly an option to clean, so the whole room was… well, less filthy). He left her to it.

It had taken her a lot of courage to leave that bathroom, but the ridicule and innuendo she had been expecting hadn't come, just an uncomfortably knowing expression. After the years of bickering in Hogwarts it was alien to not be fighting, so she just nodded and started thinking about dinner options when he opened the cupboard. He'd cleaned while she was in the bathroom, using _her_ wand no doubt – she wasn't sure whether to be grateful or annoyed – and actually this place wasn't so bad. Maybe she should make food for them both as… a sign of goodwill? Some kind of weird truce thing? A way to diffuse the awkward tension suffocating her with every step?

There was pasta, and sauce, but nothing substantial. When she opened the fridge it was warm and empty, so unless she was willing to put pineapple chunks or Nutella in with tomato sauce it was going to be very basic.

As she got out a pan to boil water in she made a mental note that _he_ was cooking next time. She would _not_ be the good little cook that he was doubtless expecting from his Pureblood upbringing, the 'Pureblood Wife' figure.

_Wife?!_

_Oh, shush._

**P.S Also wouldn't let me upload last time I tried. Hmph.**


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